Getting reviews from your clients has always been a beneficial exercise for a law firm, but today its importance is even greater.
Google is often the first point of contact between a customer and a law firm. From finding businesses nearby to planning itineraries for upcoming trips to looking up a forgotten phone number, we plug keywords into Google to help us with anything we want to know. And if we want to find out how one law firm compares to another, we Google to find out about other people’s experiences. Recognizing the need which allow users to write reviews directly on the business’s Google or Google Map listing. Since Google reviews are obviously favored by the search engine and show up upon every relevant result, if your business wants to have a good presence on Google, the best place to start is by getting more Google reviews and we can help!
Review Builder and how it works:
Once the “Review Builder” is set up and customized with your logo you are ready to start generating reviews.
You will be sent links with all the sites your customer will visit along with a training video to walk you through the process. While the program is versatile enough to send out a text “request for feedback” and also an email “request for feedback”, I suggest you use the text feature as there is a much larger response rate to a text.
Once you send the client an initial feedback request, they have the opportunity to rate you on a various “Star Level” one through five. If they rate you at four or five stars our program will request that they leave a message on your Google listing and direct them to your Google listing page. After that they will be asked to “Like You” on Facebook. The entire process takes less than a minute. If the review is three stars or less it is emailed to you for customer service reasons and never sends them to Google or Facebook. After you have at least fifty Google Reviews, we can redirect them to leave reviews at Yelp or AVVO.
Our Review Builder program is $99.00 per Month and we are happy to give you a 15 day free trial.
You can cancel at any time.
Please feel free to call one of our Review Builder specialist at (800) 587-0366
Welcome to 2022, where stars rule our buying decisions. We value five-star reviews as highly as a recommendation from a friend. Anything less than three stars is not worth our time. We live in an age where online reviews are consumer-driven, whether we like it or not.
Nine out of ten times when we are looking for a product or service online, we first do a search. We click on the results that we find. We read reviews and we count stars. 90% make their buying decisions based on reviews.
In fact, 72% consumers trust online reviews just as much as they trust a friend's recommendation. Online reviews can prove to be a valuable tool for your law practice. Online reviews can have a psychological effect on consumer buying decisions. They can also boost your local SEO rankings, so your law firm appears first in people's searches for doctors in your area.
Many doctors are hesitant to ask for client reviews online because they fear that one negative review could ruin their online reputation. They prefer not to see any reviews online because they fear that they might be compromising the image they want to project.
This is a terrible mistake.
Your online reputation can be compared to your credit score. Bad credit and established credit are not the same thing. A bad review is not the same as a good review. Consumers want to read online reviews, regardless of whether they are looking for a burrito and a doctor.
Prospective clients need to feel confident about their doctor before they make a decision. Before making a decision, they will review law firms.
Google Business Profile is Key
In a recent survey, legal consumers were asked what they would do after finding a doctor through Google. Nearly 30% of respondents said they would Google doctor reviews and review a business's Google page, while only 20% said they would look at a review on another site. This shows that Google is a great place to find online reviews about your law firm.
While there are many review sites that people use to make buying decisions, Google should always be the first concern of doctors. It is free to create a Google business profile and can generate leads.
Google Reviews: How Google Reviews Can Benefit Your Law Firm
Increased online visibility
Google monitors the ratings of your law firm and will increase your visibility based upon how many ratings you have. You can get enough ratings to push your law office to the top of Google search results. This list lists the first three businesses that match a search query. These are known as Google Local Packs and come directly from Google My Business Directory. Another reason why your law firm should have an Google business profile is that it will be easier to find clients.
People Trust Google
Even the most skeptical customers can be influenced by a positive review on Google. 74% believe that positive reviews on Google make them more likely to trust a company. People look to Google to be their one-stop online concierge for information.
Google Customer Interaction = More Leads
Google's search ranking is determined by how often you interact with user reviews. Don't think you have to only respond to negative reviews. You should also be responding positively to them. Google pays attention to active responses and is aware of them.
Make a habit of checking your Google Business profile each day and responding to all reviews. When necessary, apologize and thank you. Your Google profile is like a garden. You have to water it daily with customer interaction in order for it to grow into a lead magnet.
Increased click-through rates
People will gravitate to your website if they see high ratings on your business profile. This will increase your click through rate, giving you the opportunity to reach more of your target audience.
It is important to have online reviews of all kinds
While Google is the best place to get your online reviews, it's not to suggest that there aren't other review sites that can be beneficial. Online reviews are crucial for any business, no matter if your clients leave reviews on Yelp or Google.
Social proof
A review that says the doctor is a good choice will make it more likely for people to choose them. Social proof can have a significant impact on sales. It could be the driving factor in deciding whether to choose your law firm over a competitor. A lead will believe your law firm is worth the hype if they see it listed with five-star reviews. You will get more positive feedback from past clients and more people will want to work with you.
Visibility has increased
No matter what review site you are on, each website has its own method of indexing content. Your website will rise to the top if it has more reviews from customers. Algorithms will favor your website to be the authority if it has a lot of positive reviews. This will give your law firm more visibility.
Trust
Trust is one of the most important qualities people look for when choosing a doctor. Trust is what people seek when choosing a doctor to represent them. You can increase your credibility and make yourself more trustworthy by getting a positive review. A lot of people will trust you if you have a lot of positive reviews about your law firm.
Brand Reach
Encourage your clients to leave reviews about you and your law firm. Your online reputation and ranking will increase if customers talk about you online. Encourage customers to share happy experiences on as many review sites as they can, increasing brand awareness across multiple channels.
Dealbreaker
Many customers won't buy a product or service from a company they don't know anything about. Only 2/3 of consumers base their final decision on online reviews. For those consumers who want to see online reviews before making a final decision, it is important that you ensure your law firm stands out by producing steady streams of online reviews.
Increased sales
Online reviews have a significant impact on your bottom line. There are many data points. A Harvard study found that a rise in star ratings can lead to an increase of 5 to 9 percent in sales. This clearly shows that even a small change in your rating can make a big difference to your revenue.
Reinforces Client Relationships
Many law firms mistakenly assume that negative reviews are the only ones you have to respond to. You can strengthen your customer relationships by responding to both negative and positive feedback. You can reinforce positive experiences with reviews by thanking and offering support to previous clients, while also recognizing areas where you need to improve.
Personalizing your responses to comments will give your law firm a human face. Potential clients will be attracted to you if they see that you are open to feedback. Your reputation can be enhanced by a friendly response to negative reviews and positive reviews.
Encourages growth
Every business that is smart knows there are always opportunities to improve and grow. You can gain insight into your clients' needs by observing their online reviews. It's unlikely that a problem is being mentioned in just a few reviews. If you see the same problems repeatedly, it is a sign that something needs to be done.
You can use the feedback of your customers to make improvements and take each review as a step towards being the best.
Tips For Handling Critique
Doctors are reluctant to encourage positive online reviews because they don't want any negative criticism spreading around online, potentially damaging their reputation. Your first instinct may be to take down any negative reviews of your law firm. Sue for defamation! This is not always the best option. Although a review that contains outright false data may be defamatory, is it worth the legal fight?
If you receive a negative review about your product, take a deep breath, and then try these things:
Respond professionally
Nothing is more professional than a business responding to a negative review online with an aggressive, defensive response. Or worse, you might not respond at all. It is better to respond professionally and calmly to the unhappy client, encouraging them to contact you directly, moving the conversation away from the public eye.
Always apologize for any mistakes and let the client know that you are committed to finding a solution. Always ensure that the client's case remains confidential. It could cause more problems than just your online reputation if your law firm doesn't respect confidentiality.
Encourage more positive reviews
Negative comments are impossible to take down so drown them out! You can wash out a negative review by responding professionally. This is done by encouraging more reviews.
If your online reviews all praise your law firm and only a few negative reviews exist, they will usually be ignored. Ask for positive reviews from happy clients to help balance out the negatives.
Asking your client after the case is over by simply sending an email. Positive experiences are more likely to result in positive reviews. A happy client will spread the word about their wonderful experience without much effort.
A review landing page may be a good idea to add to your website. This will allow clients to easily review you.
It's important to remember that Yelp and other review sites state publicly that clients should not be asked to leave reviews. Before asking clients to leave reviews on certain sites, make sure you are familiar with the laws.
Online Decision Making: An Essential Part of Clients' Decision Making
Online reviews are becoming more important as we approach 2023. Clients looking for doctors will continue to rely on reviews. It's time for law firms to prioritize online reviews in their marketing strategies.
To build a 5-star reputation for your law practice, you need to give clients reasons to leave great reviews.
Automating your processes is one of the best methods to achieve that. Automated features such as drip campaigns for law offices, two-way SMS text messaging law firms and automated appointment scheduling give clients the impression that they are your only customer.
